In just under ninety-six hours I went from living in Romania to landing on American soil for the first time in eight months. In the midst of the chaotic days in Romania my squad and I found small moments to enjoy each others company. We took time to worship together, pray together and overall just laugh in a time of mourning. It is hard for me to wrap my mind of everything changing so quickly. It crazy, but though all that is going on around me, I feel at complete peace. Peace that only trusting in God can provide. Through the world wide pandemic of panic I find myself seeing kingdom everywhere.
Living in a time of unknown factors can really put your faith to the test. It can truly show you the motives of your heart. I’ve been learning about how God can test his people. We read all over scripture the different ways that God can test his people. People like Abraham, Jacob, and David where always being tested by God. The test wasn’t a pass or fail option, it was only for a heart check. God chooses to test us, in order for him to see our hearts. For us, to see the areas in our lives that we aren’t fully surrendering to him and for to see just how much we need Him in our lives. In moments of testing we can either choose to trust God or turn to the world and run scared, putting our trust in what is comfortable to us and not what is sustainable for us. He is fighting daily to have our whole heart and won’t stop pursuing us until He has all of our hearts.
It is easy to look at what is happening in the world and only see the enemy at work. How ever I think we need to challenge that perspective. Do acknowledge that the enemy is at work but also see Gods presence in the world to. Feeling of being scared or having fear are not of God so don’t give way to those thoughts in your life. If this is time of testing in our walks. Where does our trust fall. Our we doubting a Father who loves us and knows how to provide for our needs. Are we choosing to let hate or bitterness to fill our hearts instead of finding ways to love our neighbors? During the changes that are happening around us, are we seeing the need to take the gospel to the broken or are we ignoring it because we have fear for our own lives?
Now that I am home, I could blame God for making me leave the race or blaming him for not allowing me the full eleven months. I could think of the could have beens in the countries that I was unable to go to or be mad because I was unable to make memories with my new team. Honestly I could choose to sulk in all of it but unfortunately that isn’t going to do anything but make me bitter and resentful. Instead I choose to trust that God had a plan all along. The race itself, did end abruptly but that wasn’t the end of my race but the beginning.
Reflecting back to the beginning of the race, I was on a squad of people ready to serve Jesus but weren’t confident in who they where in God. Most where trying to walk a straight line but where being pushed and pulled by their past mistakes. We where broken people trying to serve a broken world. Eight months later, that same squad is choosing to walk in freedom of their past and walking in the light. More on fire to be the light of Jesus where ever they go. I see a group who are more equipped in their gifts and skills that God has given them and using those gifts to expand the kingdom. I now see a group of people who are aware of their brokenness and choosing to use that as a spark to change the world.
Returning to the states couldn’t have come at a better time. The world we live in has become a dark and depressed place. People are running scared and need something to bring them hope. And thats exactly what my squad and the other 500 missionaries that returned to the Unites States get to. The mission doesn’t change just because we have returned home. It continues and is even more necessary then we thought it would have been then before. The time is now, to share the love of Jesus and bring hope to people. To not give power to the work of the enemy but overcome with being the light stateside.
Some might think that our time on the field was cut short, but truthfully it wasn’t. The race, for a lot of us, was the the start of what God wants us to do. He used the race as an opportunity to reveal himself in depth, in order to build a foundation of trust and reliance on Jesus. So now we are able to stand strong in the midst of a world crisis and in the unknowns of returning home to a broken world. God is so good and has plan for each of us. It is up to us to choose to partner with God and trust in His story.
Lacy Jolene
